Muslims circumambulate the Kaaba, the cubic structure at the Grand Mosque, in the Muslim holy city of Capital on March 7.|Image Credit: AP
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A senior Saudi official prompted more than 1 million Muslims planning to carry out the hajj to postpone making strategies this year in comments suggesting the trip could be cancelled due to the brand-new COVID-19 pandemic.
In February, the kingdom took the extraordinary decision to close off the holy cities of Mecca and Medina to immigrants over the virus, an action which wasn’t taken even during the 1918 influenza epidemic that killed 10s of millions worldwide.
Constraints have actually tightened up in the kingdom as it grapples with over 1,500 confirmed cases of the brand-new infection. The kingdom has reported 10 deaths so far. The Middle East has more than 71,000 verified cases of the virus, the majority of those in Iran, and over 3,300 deaths.
” The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is prepared to secure the security of all Muslims and nationals,” Saudi Hajj and Umrah Minister Muhammad Saleh bin Taher Banten told state tv. “That’s why we have asked for from all Muslims all over the world to hold ont